27/02/2021
A reflection and prayer to start the day with broadcaster, singer and social justice advocate Beverley Humphreys.
A reflection and prayer to start the day with Beverley Humphreys.
Good Morning. Today is the funeral of Captain Sir Tom Moore - to so many he was a gentle hero. Gentleness is sometimes mistaken for weakness and yet one of the strongest, bravest people I know personally is a Peace Maker. Over the past twenty years, in many conflicts all over the world he’s acted as a mediator, risked his life as a human shield and spent months in prison.
His way of living is to challenge violence by trying to win over people’s hearts with love and compassion. I asked him how he’d learned to live gently in a violent world. He said “I’m no saint - I had to face those parts of my personality that I was ashamed of. When I’d faced my own capacity for inflicting pain then I could understand and deal with that same trait in others.”
Each day we face the harsh reality of a broken world – either in the international news or closer to home, in the aggressive way some people treat one another in everyday life or on social media.
My peace-making friend often uses this quote: “ Be the change you want to see in the world.”
So as we start this new day, how will we react to others? - The driver who cuts in, the stranger who gets in our way, the child who tries our patience? We have a choice: it’s up to us how we respond. Those words from Proverbs may seem naïve, but so often I’ve found them to be true: “ A gentle answer turns away anger but a harsh one stirs it up” .
Loving Lord, In the face of anger, hatred and aggression, help us to reflect your love with patience and understanding.
Give us the courage to change the world gently, one heart at a time.
Amen
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- Sat 27 Feb 2021 05:43±«Óătv Radio 4
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